In his seemingly never-ending quest to find a competent left fielder — not to mention a competent leadoff man — Davey Johnson's roulette wheel has stopped on Steve Lombardozzi. The rookie infielder has made a strong case for himself, both at the plate (he's hitting .317 with a .385 on-base percentage) and in the field (he's made a couple of nice plays while learning the outfield on the fly).

So tonight, in the opener of perhaps their biggest series of the season to date, the Nationals will have Lombardozzi in left field and leading off for the third time in four games. It worked twice in Philadelphia; might as well give it a shot in Atlanta.

It'll take a strong offensive performance from the Nats' lineup, top to bottom, to beat Tim Hudson (owner of a 13-3 record and 2.09 ERA in his career against them). And it'll take a strong start from Ross Detwiler (who has allowed 10 earned runs over his last 10 innings).

Unfortunately, I'm not in Atlanta for this weekend showdown, but I will be in Miami starting Monday for the Nationals' first series at Marlins Park. Until then, enjoy the big game and the conversation…

At this point I really don't care who plays where, while the regulars are injured. I also don't really care who hits in what order. I just think constant tinkering is bad for the team. These guys need to read each other in the outfield and get into a rhythm at the plate. I know they needed to try some options, but at some point you have just got to get off the fence, make a decision and stick with it for longer than five minutes. The carousel can be fun or it can just make you dizzy. I hope Det has his natitude going and zim got some rest.

swami, isn't the tinkering we're seeing mostly just changes based on LHP/RHP? I'm not sure that's a good thing, because I don't think Nady is helping them much against LHP and maybe more tinkering would be better.

I'm starting to think of Espi as the Rick Ankiel of the infield. He's great on defense but can't hit and I'm not sure he ever will. The Nats front office is in love with him, but if Lombo was our regular 2d baseman and hitting .317 he could be in contention for ROY or the AS Game. Between the two, I think he will be the best everyday player in the long term.

This from Twitter:Drew Storen ‏@DrewStorenAnother good day of throwing. Everything feels great. So good to be working my way back to join the fun.Also, Wil Nieves called up to the Rockies, due to an injury to their catcher.

Espinosa has way, way more upside than Lombo. What remains to be seen is if he can live up to his potential. There were similar questions about Desi, but after a couple years, it looks like he's been able to put it all together. Some guys take time. As Tom in AR said, Espinosa got off to a hot start in his rookie season, too. From everything you read, Espi profiles as an above average second baseman with power and speed — at least a 20/20 guy and maybe more. Lombo is more in the mold of DeRosa. He doesn't have all of the natural ability, but he's a scrapper, and he should have a good career. Over the long haul, Espi should be better as long as he can play up to his ability. He's got All-Star talent.

Guess who is having a good year in the AAA minor-league affiliate of the Pirates?25.1 IP, ERA = 0.36 WHIP = 0.789 Record 2-0.Did we give up on Doug Slaten too soon? Just kidding.(Actually, the stats are true.)

Two points to remember regarding Lombardozzi before you decide to give him the 2b job over Espinosa: First, Lombardozzi has a weak throwing arm which hurts on completing double plays and making relay throws home from the outfielders. Second, the league hasn't adjusted to Lombo, yet. We have to see if Lombo can re-adjust to the league as it adjusts to him. (He hasn't had a chance to run into the sophomore slump yet.) I really like Steve but I do wish he had a stronger arm.

And for your daily Kool-Aid (do we even need it any more?)Here is the final paragraph.Where they finish: So far the Nats have been able to withstand so many injuries to so many of their important star players with out slowing down, it looks like nothing is going to derail this team. If they can keep up this pace until players like Mike Morse, Brad Lidge, and Jayson Werth get back, then there will be no reason to think this team couldn’t win the division with a record of 94-68.NL East chatterhttp://nleastchatter.com/2012/05/a-quarter-of-the-way-through-where-each-nl-east-team-stands/

Someone had it wrong, but it's all good either way:@acomak: Michael Morse hit a homer as part of a 2-for-3 day in extended spring today. He'll play in extended thru Sunday, in Potomac on Monday.@AdamKilgoreWP: Mike Morse will play a rehab game Monday in Potomac, Davey says. Morse hit two homers today in extended spring training.Hack dat gorse! GYFNG!

We miss you already Mark Z.I'm glad Lombo is in tonight. Plus it seems like Danny is better when Lombo is playing. Could be coincidental but still…and Danny really was a ROY candidate this time last year. We ( by which I mean "some of us though not me, and not some others") were wrong about Desi. I'm going with we're wrong about Danny, too.I am going to be glad to beat the Braves no matter who is on their or our roster. Hoping Ross is scary tonight, in. GOOD, no-bourbon-and-maalox-required way.GYFNG!

Maybe that's what I am doing on Monday, too. What time is the game – is it a day game? I like Lombo and Espi and Desi and all of the guys. I just want to keep them all like it's September all the time. I want to keep all the pitchers, too. I soooo want to see them do well. I have found that it's more nerve-wracking when they have been winning because I have started to have hope and expectations. The long-term nats fan in me is always expecting the worst, though. Do you think I will ever get over that? I know it's only been since 2005, I can't even imagine how it feels to be a Cubs fan.

I just think constant tinkering is bad for the team. These guys need to read each other in the outfield and get into a rhythm at the plate. I know they needed to try some options, but at some point you have just got to get off the fence, make a decision and stick with it for longer than five minutes. I tend to think the lineup has pretty much settled (until someone returns). #2 thru #8 has been fairly constant — except we had Espi move to #1 and Nady at #7, but we've pretty much seen this the past week, no?GYFNG! (I'm away all weekend . . . y'all carry on without me!)

It's $1 each for hotdogs and grandstand tix on Monday, I think.Will miss Mark's game commentary, but good to know that he'll be in Miami. (Hey, maybe he could sabotage the Carmen Miranda Memorial Home Run Sculpture? Kidding. Kinda.)Yep, ready for some baseball here. Hope that Braves are not too hot after their road trip and sweep by the Reds. Go, DET! Go, NATS!!Speaking of baseball, played hooky with the hubby today and we saw Men in Black III, which we liked. There was a baseball reference in the movie (the Miracle Mets) and Davey was mentioned. Is that a sign? :-)Steady Eddie said… Potomac, eh? Maybe that's what I'm doing on Monday…. May 25, 2012 5:50 PM

I like the lineup and with Morse back in…holy cow.Unfortunately, it appears Ankiel is still a starter even after Morse is back in (Morse/Ankiel/Harper).Would like to see C. Brown in CF instead of Ankiel.

JamesFan said "I'm starting to think of Espi as the Rick Ankiel of the infield."=========================Like you, I have some doubts about Danny Espinosa (both for the remainder of this year and in the future), but the comparison isn't with Rick Ankiel. Mr. Ankiel, who will be 33 in mid-July, has almost 2000 plate appearances and over 1700 at-bats. Even if you exclude the 100 or so PAs/BAs he had as a pitcher, we — and the league — pretty know who he is and what he can do. He plays good defense (with a plus-plus arm) and his career slash line is .245/.307/.421. That's inflated a little from his first two years back from his pitcher-to-outfielder conversion; his Washington stats are a bit below that line. He will occasionally hit a HR or 2B, occasionally knock in a go-ahead run, and very occasionally walk. But no one — not the team, not the fans — sees any potential for him to turn into a front-line player who will be Nat for the long-term. There are no still-to-be-answered questions about Mr. Ankiel.Mr. Espinosa has had fewer than 1000 PAs and just over 800 ABs; he just turned 25. People who know baseball so much better than I ever will — such as Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson — see lots of potential for Mr. Espinosa to turn into a solid starter for the next decade. There are still lots of questions to be answered. Most fundamentally, will that 'potential' turn into reality. And folks can legitimately argue whether the best place to answer those questions is while playing daily in the majors or perhaps back in AAA for a stint (as I suggested a week or 10 days ago citing the Gaby Sanchez example). But he is not equivalent to Mr. Ankiel, meaning no offense to either of them.

Would love to see Det pitch 7 innings 4 Hits 1 Run, 1 BB 5 Ks. 98 pitches. All Nats pitchers have that as the one thing they need to work on. Being more economical with their pitches. However since they are winning it has not been an issue yet, though could be in the future.

Isn't it difficult for power pitchers to be more economical? I mean – they are throwing the pitches that they think will get the guy out – if the guy whiffs or fouls it off, well, then – that's what happened. Do we really want them serving up meatballs? I have always heard the opposite comment made about Zim – that he catches too much of the plate and throws too many strikes. Which is it? Our pitchers have been doing a really good job and now we want to fix what might not be broken? My fear is that if you get something like that in a pitcher's head ( a scary place, by the way), then it might really make them overthink instead of pitching in their own style. oh — and whatnot. I thought teenagers all said " you know" and "like" – but with Bryce it's whatnot. ok.

… Mark, while I realise the vagaries which exist to affect even the most reasonable of decisions, I can't help but wonder what it might be which causes you to miss this series, considering all its implications for the team…. I can only hope you (or your supervisors) feel it's necessary to miss a few now in lieu of the very big games to come in October.Go Nats!

I can't even imagine how it feels to be a Cubs fan. Swami, so much has been written on this, I should refer you to someone more articulate and insightful, but I will say this: It requires a particular kind of resilience to hold two necessary, but mutually exclusive, futures in your head at all times. One is the certainty that this the Cubs, and they cannot win. They might get close, usually once each generation, but that's just part of the lesson. The other certainty is that they will win, they have to win, someday. You hold these mutually exclusive ideas side by side in on your baseball belief system. So you steel yourself to the certainty of frustration and defeat, and at the same time keep perfect faith in the idea that maybe this is the year. And when that does happen, like it did for the Red Sox, Everything Will Change, and the Cubs will become just another good baseball team.

the point about Moore and Brown is that you CANNOT use Moore as a comparison to how well Brown will do in the majors. I mean 17 at-bats? Come on people. If Brown comes up and plays LF once ever two weeks and 17 at bats spread over 1 month…he'll also be 2-17 most likely. Both need to play every day. Moore is a first basemen who stinks at LF and is stuck behind ALR who's killing it. Brown needs to play every day, and is stuck behind WHO? Ankiel? Bernadina? a combined .500 OPS while playing LF? Moore is blocked. Brown isn't. He should be here, and that's the bottom line. GO NATS.

I have MLB extra inning package, and one feature I like that some of the broadcast have, it the pitch count. I wish MASN would add that to that graphic.BY the way the flagship station had very little Nats talk as usualy when I would be listening around 5-530. They were instead talking about Mayo.

The Cubs and Chicago ruled baseball at the turn of the last century. They were as cocky then as the yankees and their fans are now.Trio of bear Cubs, fleeter than birdsTinkers to Evers to ChanceDesmond to Espi to Moore

FP Telling Story-"Does it frustrate you as a starting pitcher not to get run support?""No"-blah blah blah about keeping the lead-"The frustrating thing was if your team didn't get any runs through-out the game."-and scene-

UnkyD said… Enjoy the cushion, Det! (no nibbling…)Can somebody please repeat that over and over to him! How many of those guys got to ball 3 in the first inning? Sheesh!OK, I'm outta here now (for the weekend). Take care all!GYFNG!!

And, jeffwx, it's one of those two:Desi to Espi, LaRoche!Or Desi to Espi to Morse.I'm starting to wonder, if Morse is raking when he returns, we don't bring up Brown and then trade LaRoche. I am not advocating this, just wondering how likely it is. Your thoughts Peric and NatsJack? I am fine if you cordially disagree, I am looking for well-reasoned, if differing, arguments.

NatsJack, I like Ankiel a lot. It was a very good hit, but Bourn got a late jump, then slowed down to check his GPS for the wall position. Ankiel would hav e caught that, even though this is not his home park.

OK…I've said it before and I'll say it again. While I believe Brown desrves a shot, you will not see him lining up in the outfield next to Bryce Harper unless required by injury.The Nats want a vetran presence next to Bryce (think Bryce in CF and Moore in LF which was really scary). Ankiel will be there until Werth comes back.

NatsJack, the baiting was in reference to your ping at peric, and also to me questioning whether I liked Ankiel when I said Bourn should have caught Ankiel's CF shot. Just seemed like a bit of a shot which I don't think I deserved since I was dinging Bourn.I do note now that Ankiel easily read and tracked Bourn's shot which had Barves fans screaming.

Where are those people that said Detwiler over Lannan was a slam-dunk. Give me Lannan any day of the week and twice on Sunday over Detwiler. Say what you want about Lannan…but at least he is a fighter!!!

Detwiler has no one to blame but himself. get the three outs he gets the win.Ankiel took a terrible angle on that ball, looked like to me that should have been caught.Now when we get up batters need to get off their diuffs and start playing again.

Not just Tim Lincecum – Hallady struggling, too. Pitching is not child's play. RossD is still a fairly new big-league starting pitcher. How quickly you forget how good he can be. How about a little more offense? You all talk like Detweiler is some sniveling baby – Wang is supposed to be the experienced veteran and he is so high-maintenance he can apparently only do one thing – and then only when the conditions are perfect. Maybe he needs to start sucking it up. You know, Strassie and Gio are just praying that they have a start with 4 runs in the first. Are our starting pitchers so used to being in trouble that they can't pitch without an adrenaline high?

As an ex catcher, I love a good sinker ball guy and FP is not lying. It's like trying to hit a bowling ball.Tom Bradley threw the best sinker I ever caught and my palm just below my thumb would be bruised after catching him.Wang throws a better sinker.

I think Davey sees a lot of Scott Erickson in Wang. He was pretty good for Davey at the end of 1996 and all of 1997. From August of '96-October of '97 he was 25-9 with a couple of wins in the playoffs. Hopefully Wang can do something close to that if he starts. Those sinker-ballers have a way of getting on a roll for 5-6 starts at a time. Agree with NatsJack…like the change of pace from the other 4 starters.

Change of pace sounds like a good idea. I hope it works. I'd prefer to stick with Det b/c he's still part of the long term plan in the rotation, and Wang isn't. I'd like to see a few good starts by Wang, then trade him when his value his high…he's always going to be fragile

At this point, I bring Burnett back for the 9th and if anyone gets on at all, I bring in Clippard. I didn't agree with pulling Detwiler in the 5th, so I guess I'm not on the same page as Davey tonight.

Even if he didn't make it out of the 5th, I've got to say one positive thing about Mr. Detwiller: Despite allowing at least two runners on base in each of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd innings, he got out of those three innings having only given up one run. The Braves could easily have tied the game up (or even gone ahead) by the end of the 3rd. I know he'll be frustrated that he didn't get the win, but Mr. Detwiller didn't give the game away either. And we've all seen that happen before.

Did you hear Zim on the postgame? He actually said he was pissed. – Have you ever heard him utter one word that was not squeaky clean? It will be kind cool if opposing pitchers just have to pitch to Bryce because Zim is right behind him. He ripped the covers off two balls tonight. Could be he is awake now? Some really hard-hit balls tonight.

Sorry, ehay. Meant to post a link and now I can't find it. Evidently Cholly got between them in the dugout. I'm not used to staying up this late. :-)btw, that was funny, jeffwx.jeffwx said… yes…Ankiel is the nats day tripper oblah dee May 25, 2012 8:40 PM

This team is shedding the ghosts of failed seasons past…Beating up on Doc Halladay and Tim Hudson in one week?Not just scoring runs but pinning the loss on them?New team, new day, anything is possible!(OK, I'll admit it, Knob Creek with no Maalox tonight…)GYFNG!

Obliged by duty to be elsewhere this evening. Since Mark is out for these games, if somebody could fill in the PxP a little bit, this would all make a little more sense, and those of us not able to be here synchronously will surely appreciate it. Thanks.

@Soul Possession: Nats scored four in the first. Two on a triple by Ankiel. Det was nicked for a run in the third and two in the fourth. Davey yanked him after 100 pitches, going just 4.1 innings, not eligible for the win. Hudson got stronger after that first inning. He was close to getting a 1-2-3 in the seventh when CMW, allowed to bat by Davey, worked a walk. Lombo doubled him two third. They pitched around Harper to get to Zimm. Big mistake: Zimm ripped a bases-clearing double to make it 7-3. Braves got a meaningless run, Livo worked a 1-2-3 eighth. Clipp closed 'em out 1-2-3 in the ninth.That;s your update. Nats two up on the Braves with Jesus and Gio coming up. Braves have lost 5 straight. Might make it seven.

Sunshine nice Coles nutshell. Strike zone seemed to vary IMO. Ross has got to learn not to show his emotions (feelings) on the mound. That's where he has to mature. If he does he can and will be a very good pitcher.

Manassas Nats' Fan said… I put Detwiler out there on Wednesday, and have Wang ready, and another one like tonight the hook might be there. He has given up 13 ER in the last 14.1 innings, that isn't very good. May 25, 2012 11:58 PM ________________________________Tough to watch Detwiler get his pitch count up by not putting away batters. Just can't call a guy a starter who can't go more than 6 innings consistently.

Meanwhile, up in Syracuse, Downtown Corey Brown breaks the Chiefs record by homering in his fifth straight game. (Did I mention the .399 on base percentage?)Hey Mike, Paul McCartney left you a message:Someone's knocking at the doorSomebody's ringin' the bell …

Nats Jack, I'm not sure how you work him in,but Corey Brown deserves to be called up. He is by all accounts a superior OF to anyone we have healthy, though he desn't possess Ankiel's arm, but who does? He's a very good base runner, and since abandoning the modifications to his swing the coaches tried to make last year,he has hit the snot out of the ball. He has demonstrated that he is a lead off hitter with power. He has earned a cup of coffee.

Item on the Lee and Victorino confrontation which the Phillies evidently don't want to talk about. As Well, Pence did say something about it being twilight time (when he tried to make a catch). Yes, Hunter. Yes it is. Tick. Tock.

Joe…. I agree that Brown deserves a shot but….the Nats are determined to keep a veteran presence next to Bryce in the outfield and that blocks Brown for the time being. And Ankiel has his moments of success so he's the guy till Werth comes back.

Leftover thoughts: What was Atlanta thinking to pitch around Bryce to get to Zim? Who wants to bet that never happens again? Zim – that was a sweet moment for this Nats fan! He made them pay and it was very satisfying. Also – Burnett and Clip are both pretty savvy pitchers with some experience and some stuff from the left and the right. I think either one of them can pitch in the 8th or 9th. Funny, too, how Burnett has just not been used all that much this season – he has to have the fewest innings.As for Det — it might not have been pretty but it was not a high-run melt down. Did you see Hudsons face when he gave up the double to Zim? Lincecum melted down pretty good last night. Those guys have a lot more years on them than Det and had a lot worse outings. Did you happen to notice that Wang just can't run at all. He has had foot and hammy injuries – he should be required to strike out each and every time he is up. Scary to watch him run. Fragile and high maintenance. Hope he is worth all this trouble.

Watching the game this morning on MLB.tv because I was working last night. Really, how many times did Ross have the hitter 0-2 and then get to 3-2 and foul off a few? No wonder his pitch count was high and in the 2nd inning Carp and FP are already "hoping" he can get to 5 innings. You have a four run lead. THROW STRIKES. CMW's velocity hit 94. Yes, his sinker didn't always drop as much as you would like, but what a pleasure to watch him work when it did, ground ball after ground ball. Really hope Davey lets CMW start and pairs him with Detwiler (like Stras and Gorzy), righty/lefty and two different styles for hitters to adjust to.And Ross, if you don't want to get pulled mid-inning and have your inherited runners score, stop scuffing your feet on the mound and PITCH BETTER.

P.S., I understand about 2005, but I still love the standings. Now other teams have to come to us. The Nats are the "tough part of the schedule"! Thank you, Huddy, for "pissing off" the Face. We need him mad!

Natslady – nice new avatar/pic. Freddie, nice way to light a fire under Zimm. Timmy H. – "We should have won that game." Hey, that's what WE used to say, two-plus years ago. Heading over now to read some phan phlailing. Hope Mark Z has something for us today before the game.

not that hung over, lol… the 2005 comparison is absurd period. That team was ancient and lucky. this team is young and for real and talented. Thinking ahead, the Nats pitching gets stronger with Lidge and Storen coming back along with Wang as a 5th starter. Det may be better off helping team in middle relief and he needs to become tougher. The only ones who you show the door to pitching wise is Hrod and Perry. On the offensive side, Lombo is everything the scouts said he could be and Harper is a special player. Add Morse to this team and it could be enough. Bernadina and Nady should go bye bye. If Werth can come back, maybe bring up Corey Brown in August and we could roll. It is too bad Ramos is out. Flores is doing splendid but we need some depth. One can see the Nats in 2013 and on as perhaps the best team in MLB

MicheleS: Thanks for the AJC link.Loved the Tim Hudson quote after giving up seven earned runs: "I was a couple pitches from throwing a shutout…"Recalls several similar quotes:– Capt. Edward Smith, RMS Titanic: "I was a couple icebergs from crossing the Atlantic…";– Gen. Heinz Guderian: "I was a couple snowflakes from taking Moscow…"; and, of course,– Pres. Richard Nixon: "I was a couple tapes from getting away with it…"

ESPN's MLB standings include some revealing numbers.The Nats have scored 22 more runs than they've allowed. Their +22 run differential ranks fourth in the NL and sixth in the majors.The Nats have done this while scoring only 170 runs. Only four of the 30 teams are worse — Oakland, San Diego, the Cubs and Pittsburgh.The reason, of course, is that the Nats' pitchers have allowed only 148 runs, the fewest in baseball.If this team can muster more offense it's going to be tough to beat.P.S. How good are the Rangers? They're already at +90. Wow.

Not only did RZ say he was "p***ed" about the walk to Harper, he said "sh**" to the ump about the first pitch inside ball that was called a strike.And then it goes 0-2 and he hits a double. Major League ball there, ML ball!

Watching this horrible show of NatsTalk Live on MASN as they disect the Nats game last night. 10 minutes talking about Detwiler.Detwiler starts the season like Rizzo made the right move sending Lannan down. The last 4 starts look like you can stick a fork in Detwiler.Detwiler threw 4 walks and even in some of his strikeout threw too many pitches to get the strikeouts. There was no efficiency in the strikeouts. 4 1/3 innings or these 5 inning starts is not great. Detwiler pitched with an extra games rest also.I would not be surprised to see Wang make the next start. Wang was 5th starter until he was injured in Spring Training. I was a believer that Detwiler was the guy who should start last night mostly based on the lefty/lefty matchup. Wang was up early in the bullpen. According to Phil Wood, Wang threw over 70 pitches in the bullpen before he took the mound.

NatsLady said… The O's had 11,000 walkups last night. Broke a record. May 26, 2012 9:52 AM_____________________________Friday night, Holiday weekend, casual fanbase energized by the rumor that the team is finally going to sign a big piece long-term (Adam Jones).Biggest reason is Friday night is College night discounts so Friday nights with good weather has received great walk-ups anyway.

Eugene and Mick – hilarious!! That's real confidence. Gonat – sometimes I drop in on that snoozefest on masn. No production values, no video. Phil Wood is usually good but the others are Balmer homers. They truly pontificate for hours. Zim kind of surprised me last night with his demeanor – developing some Natitude? I hope he keeps that chip on his shoulder for a long time. Still can't believe that they chose to pitch to him instead of Bryce. Detweiler lost his swagger when he cut his hair. Just needs to get his swagger back. And throw some strikes. Watch JZim.

Lets look at Tim Hudson's dominance of Zim. 46 at-bats prior to yesterday and a .173 batting average and only 2 life-time RBIs against Hudson with no Home Runs.Its as if Zim put himself in walk-off mode in that at-bat and behind in the count 0-2.Also before last night, Hudson was 13-3 against the Nats and went through a stretch in 2007 to 2008 where he went 7-0. He has never given up 7 earned runs against the Nats.

baseballswami – This is the Nats Only show called NatsTalk Live. Can't watch that show with Dave Johnson and Mel Antonen as you are right.This is the 2 hour NatsTalk Live. Horrible production value like you said with no video or stats flashed up. One caller asked what a 4 seam fastball is and Phil Wood said he had no baseball in the studio to demonstrate.

Amanda Comak writes….Tim Hudson has been tough on the Nationals in his career. He entered Friday night's contest having been the pitcher of record in 17 of his 23 starts against them — and having won 14 of those. But of all the Nationals Hudson is tough on, Ryan Zimmerman might have been the worst. Before Friday, Zimmerman had faced Hudson in 48 plate appearances. He had eight hits — and only one for extra bases. The numbers certainly were stacked in Hudson's favor. Eight strikeouts, .174 average against, .208 on-base percentage, .196 slugging.______________________________________I see Amanda did similar research to what I did at 11:00am and she is incorrect, Hudson's record was 13 wins against the Nats not 14. She didn't subtract out a 2003 win against the Expos.